Mattarella: "Respect is a universal value. The antidote to hate"

“Families, teachers, educational agencies all have a role in promoting the value of respect, especially among young people, to make them women and men capable of building solid and united communities. Respect is a sign of maturity: it means choosing to enjoy own freedom fully, in harmony with others and with oneself, in a context that guarantees the rights and responsibilities of everyone. Being respectful is an exercise of freedom“.

These are the words of the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the National Day of Respect, which “is celebrated on the day of the birth of Willy Monteiro Duarte, brutally murdered in an attempt to defend a friend in difficulty”, “established by Parliament in 2024 ” to “contribute to raising public awareness of the need to prevent and combat the phenomena of bullying and cyberbullying”, recalls the Head of State.

The Head of State then made a surprise visit to the “Edmondo De Amicis-Leonardo Da Vinci” school in Palermo at its headquarters in via SerradiFalco, in the Noce-Malaspina district. He spoke in particular with the children of 5 C, a multi-ethnic primary class, whose students were subjected to racist insults and comments in October while taking part in the “I read because” initiative in the center of Palermo. Far from embarrassed by the presence of the illustrious guest (the visit was kept secret by the school director Giovanna Genco), they asked the president some questions and gave him some gifts.

A large tricolor stood out on the class blackboard. The children then escorted the president into the great hall where the orchestra of secondary school children played two pieces by Giuseppe Verdi, the Zingarelle choir from La Traviata and the – “Va, pensiero” from Nabucco. “Living together, talking, makes you grow, I extend a heartfelt thank you to your teachers. Teaching is a difficult but exhilarating undertaking”, the president said to the approximately 300 children at the end of the meeting.